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Multi-Agency Probe Deepens After ICE Agent Fatally Shoots Houston Construction Worker

Unsealed FBI paperwork described small bags of a white crystal-like substance not yet lab-tested with the family calling it salt.

Overview

  • An ICE agent shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during a traffic-stop encounter that federal officials say followed attempts to stop a similar white van on July 7.
  • The FBI executed a search warrant that described several small plastic bags of a white, crystal-like substance in plain view in the van and the property was seized for testing that has not been completed.
  • Salgado Araujo’s family and their attorneys say the material was crystallized salt used for homemade electrolyte drinks and Harris County prosecutors question the drug claim.
  • The FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and its OIG, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Harris County DA and the Texas Rangers are all investigating the shooting.
  • Three surviving passengers who witnessed the shooting remain in federal detention, have applied for U visas to avoid deportation, and community groups continue to press for release of agent identities and an independent review.